Chapter 96

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Chapter 96: The Graveyard of the Dead (8)

Oscar, having removed his robe, carefully wrapped the pile of lich bones with it.

The bones, imbued with all sorts of magic, were valuable materials on their own.

“A tiger leaves its hide when it dies...”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

A lich, on the other hand, leaves behind its bones upon death.

Such is the law of nature.

...No, wait, since a lich is already dead, perhaps “disintegration” would be more fitting.

As these trivial thoughts crossed his mind, he sensed hurried footsteps coming from the staircase behind him.

“Haa, haa.”

Kiri Gloria.

Having apparently run in a rush, she was panting as she looked around at the ruined space, unable to close her gaping mouth.

“...What the heck? Where did that guy go?”

Her searching eyes finally landed on the bundle in Oscar's grasp.

Oscar held the bundle tightly, his guard up.

“Sorry, but staring at it won’t make me give it to you.”

“That’s not why I’m staring!”

She snapped, her voice sharp, before letting out a heavy sigh as if drained.

“Hoo, anyway, I’m glad.”

“Glad I’m not dead?”

“...Hmph.”

Scoffing, she crossed her arms and replied coldly,

“Don’t get it twisted. I’m just glad we don’t owe the White Tower an apology or a debt.”

Oscar mulled over her words before responding.

“But isn’t it true you already owe me? I did save your friends’ lives.”

“T-That’s...”

Caught off guard by his blunt remark, she fumbled for words.

“I had my own trump card, you know. I probably could’ve handled it somehow in that situation. But, well, I can’t deny that you stepping in made rescuing them easier than expected. So, if I had to admit it, you did a pretty good job.”

“You sure have a talent for making thank-you speeches long-winded.”

She fell silent at his comment before muttering begrudgingly,

“...I’m not used to saying such things. It’s my first time receiving help from someone else.”

“That’s... really sad.”

“That’s just how it is for us.”

For a brief moment, a deeply bitter expression crossed her face.

“That’s the biggest difference between the Black Tower and the White Tower. No matter what you guys do, you’re loved, but we’re the opposite. As soon as someone hears ‘Black Tower,’ they hate and ostracize us for no reason. Even if we do good things.”

“...”

The atmosphere turned heavy, like a downpour had settled over them.

Wanting to comfort her, Oscar spoke up.

“Maybe people envy you.”

“?”

Kiri tilted her head at his unexpected words.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Well, people tend to live pretending not to see or know what they’ve done wrong.”

Facing one’s mistakes and striving to fix them is incredibly exhausting and difficult.

“But you, as a group, are boldly confronting the wrongs of your predecessors and working to correct them. That takes immense courage. Perhaps that’s why people dislike you. Seeing you makes them feel more pathetic and small for hiding their own flaws.”

“...Hmph. You sure know how to sweet-talk.”

She scoffed dismissively, but her ears perked up slightly, like a puppy enjoying a treat.

Oscar, noticing this, suppressed a chuckle and said,

“Let’s head back to the village.”

After all, there are people eagerly awaiting this news.

* * *

“Thank you so much!”

“Whew, now I can finally stretch out my legs and sleep in peace.”

The villagers, elated by the news that the source of their terror had been vanquished, were overjoyed.

Though the return happened late at night, the village square turned into a small festival.

With a whoosh, the village chief lit a campfire in the square and exclaimed,

“Tonight, we’ll slaughter a pig!”

“Hearing that, I can’t just sit still. I’ll bring a chicken from home!”

“Then I’ll fetch some potatoes and mushrooms. A nice hot soup would be perfect in this weather.”

Though hastily organized, the festival was filled with warm sentiments.

Oscar turned to Killian and Veronica, saying,

“You really did a great job finding the vessel. Thanks to you, we made it.”

“Hmph. I used my brains to figure out where the vessel might be.”

“...You used your brains? Did you headbutt some gravestones or something?”

“No. I genuinely thought things through. Ask the witness here.”

He looked at Veronica, who gave a reluctant nod.

“Well, he’s not wrong.”

“...Really?”

“He’s not as clueless as I thought he was.”

“Veronica Fricks. You’re not as untrustworthy as I thought, either.”

“Hey, that’s all I get? Without me, you’d be dead back there.”

“A proud and sturdy forest warrior wouldn’t die from a mere attack like that.”

“Oh, is that so? Maybe I should’ve let that skeleton bash your skull in, then.”

Watching the two bicker, Oscar blinked in surprise.

“What the... You two... Are you seriously this close after just a few hours?”

“We’re not close.”

“Not close at all!”

Really?

Because they looked close to anyone watching.

Suppressing a silent laugh, Oscar felt a sense of relief.

‘At least the trip back won’t feel as suffocating.’

Compared to the oppressive atmosphere earlier, now it felt like traveling with old friends.

As the cheerful village chief and residents approached, they exclaimed,

“Thank you again, mages.”

“If you ever want to rest in a place with fresh air, you’re always welcome here!”

“Yes, you mages are always welcome!”

“Next time you visit, I’ll show you the beautiful mountains and fields around here.”

As Oscar smiled warmly in response, something caught his eye.

In the shadows, far from the campfire’s light, stood the mages of the Black Tower.

“...”

Oscar couldn’t take his eyes off them and finally spoke.

“It’s good that the situation is resolved, but I feel a bit guilty, as if we’ve stolen the credit from the Black Tower mages.”

“Sorry? What do you mean?”

“Well, we basically barged into an operation that the Black Tower had been working on independently. Thanks to their prior research, we were able to solve the problem easily.”

At those words, countless gazes turned toward the Black Tower mages.

“Oh, so that’s why they were wandering around the village…”

“Was all of that for our sake? I misunderstood and judged them wrongly.”

As the sudden attention turned into a flurry of apologies, a startled Kiri stammered a response.

“Ah, no. From the beginning, we weren’t…”

Tug.

At that moment, Kiri felt something tugging at her sleeve and looked down.

A girl holding a ball was smiling as brightly as spring flowers.

“Thank you, big sister!”

“Huh… Big sister? Oh, um, sure.”

Kiri, mesmerized by the girl’s innocent voice, responded instinctively.

This set off a wave of warm actions from the villagers.

“Why are you standing in such a dark place?”

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“Even if you’re mages, it’s cold out here. Come closer to the fire.”

“This meat was grilled by me—it’s delicious. Would you like to try some?”

“Have some soup too.”

The Black Tower mages, who were reluctantly dragged into the center of activity, appeared bewildered but didn’t seem entirely displeased.

It wasn’t until much later that Kiri, finally freed, approached with a serious expression.

“Was that pity?”

“No, I just stated the facts as they are. Nothing I said was untrue.”

“But…”

She frowned as if unable to comprehend.

“If you’d just kept quiet, you could have taken all the credit.”

“Hm.”

Oscar replied with an amused expression.

“As I said before, I’ve come to see you all differently this time. Or rather, I’ve come to see you properly for the first time.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“What about you?”

“…What?”

“Do you see our White Tower properly?”

“…”

Kiri Gloria hesitated, her lips moving as if to speak but no words came out.

She was pondering his question:

Do you really think the White Tower’s mages are as incompetent as you imagined?

Are we truly the villains you’ve built up in your minds?

“…No matter what, we have to surpass you. That will never change.”

“Is that so.”

Kiri muttered as she stood up.

“But… Fine, I’ll admit it. You’re not the inept group we thought you were.”

“The next time we meet will be during the Mage’s Night, I suppose.”

“We’ll crush you with all our strength and pull you down from the seat of the Four Great Towers.”

Hearing her audacious declaration, Oscar smirked.

“Keep dreaming and find another tower to challenge. We’re not going anywhere.”

“…Let’s go.”

Kiri spun around and left the village, taking Gale and Borg with her.

Oscar glanced at Veronica, who was sitting beside him.

“Aren’t you going after them?”

“…Well, there’ll be another opportunity, I suppose.”

She looked at the departing backs of her old friends with a complicated expression.

* * *

After leaving the village, Kiri walked for some time before suddenly turning back and asking quietly:

“What do you think?”

Gale and Borg took turns answering.

“Well, he's definitely different from what the rumors said about him.”

“Even at Level 3, he feels like he has the same air as those guys from the Four Great Towers.”

“…So you think so too.”

Kiri bit her lower lip lightly.

It had been a while since she’d met someone among her peers who felt like a towering mountain to overcome.

‘At just Level 3, he had the strength to face a lich. He’s composed enough to manage crises calmly, with leadership and a spirit of sacrifice. And from the way he talks, he seemed thoughtful too.’

On top of all that, he had a way of drawing people to his side with his words and atmosphere.

At least from what she had observed, there didn’t seem to be any major flaws.

According to the Black Tower’s intelligence, Oscar Crucian was supposed to be an arrogant problem child with a notorious reputation for draining resources.

But the person she had met was completely different.

“Rumors really can’t be trusted.”

Who would have thought Oscar Crucian would turn out to be someone like that?

And those two by his side as well—despite their downfall, perhaps the Four Great Towers truly were a cut above.

The wall she had to surpass seemed taller than she had expected.

Hearing her sigh, Gale and Borg spoke cautiously.

“Kiri, how about borrowing their help to solve the problems in our tower?”

“Seeing them in action, they seem reliable. If we’re going to ally with someone, wouldn’t they be better than the other Four Great Towers?”

“No.”

Kiri replied firmly, her expression conflicted.

“That’s something we need to resolve internally as much as possible. If, in the end, we fail…”

Then, perhaps, someone else’s help would become absolutely necessary.

Turning her body, she said:

“That’s a matter for another time. For now…”

The immediate focus was on preparing for the Mage’s Night.

That alone was more than enough to occupy her.

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